PULSAR

The ARC6 is the part of the power supply that converts AC mains power to DC. It uses an Active Rectification board to convert AC to DC instead of passive Schottky diodes used in the RECAP2 module on the PULSE. Aside from being far more efficient and causing less heat and ripple, it has the advantage of lower the impedance of the power supply, which has an audible effect on sound quality. In order to support this lower impedance, it needs a larger capacitor bank using 6 Mundorf Capacitors. Hence the name ARC6 (Active Rectification with 6 Capacitors). The PULSAR uses a trickle-down version of the ARC6 modules on the STATEMENT with Next-Gen power supply.

The second port is present on all PULSE series streamers and can be used to connect another network-based device as the port is bridged with the main LAN port. This is useful if you use a NAS for example, where instead of running two cables from the router, you can run a single cable to the PULSAR and then a smaller cable from the PULSAR to the NAS.

• Compared to the PULSE, the PULSAR has a much improved power supply: 300VA toroidal, compared to 120VA on PULSE. PULSAR’s active rectification module has a 3x larger capacitor bank, much larger inductor and two regulator modules providing separate rails to the SSD and to the Digital Output Module. 
• PULSAR has a higher-performing audio output stage thanks to the Digital Output Module facility, allowing for the optional installation of a dedicated output board with your preferred choice of connection, including options for re-clocked PhoenixUSB, PhoenixI2S or SPDIF. This also allows you to adapt your specialised output stage as your HiFi system changes and evolves.
• PULSAR also uses an SLC-type SSD where each storage cell contains a single bit compared to a TLC on PULSE and PULSEmini where each cell stores 3 bits – this means the access mechanism is more complicated resulting in higher latency and power noise.  
• Finally, the chassis on the PULSAR is all around high-precision CNC machined aluminium, bead-blasted and anodised. 
• All of these details add up to produce peak streaming music enjoyment in its class.

A backup made on a PULSE series device will protect your Music Library Database which includes all your favourites and Sense playlists, along with with other information such as artist biographies and radio presets.
Each streamer in the PULSE series lets you build your library from streamed content from multiple sources. Over time, you could have a large, well-managed library. If for any reason your database or device develops a problem, the Backup function will let you restore your library to the condition it was in at the last backup and is also a useful tool for transferring your library from one Innuos device to another.

Yes, it is possible to connect a USB drive containing music files and play these through Sense app. This is designed as a more temporary solution, such as having a friend come to listen to your system and they have brought some of their music with them.

Due to many performance restrictions, leaving a USB drive permanently connected to be used as a constant library source is not viable. Not only would the USB drive negatively impact sound quality due to inserting noise directly onto the USB subsystem, but there is also an impact on the UX where rescanning and editing albums would be much slower and subject to issues and risks if you don’t unmount drives properly.

Therefore, files stored on an external USB drive will not have the same library integration, playlist construction, or data editing facilities that you would gain from having the files stored on a NAS drive, or better yet within one of our Music Servers.